Current Formula 2 championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli is something of a rarity in modern motorsport: he is currently in the lead of a top-level junior championship in his first year, but remains conspicuously unaffiliated to a Formula 1 academy.
This is a quirk that Invicta team principal James Robinson believes is “absolutely mind-blowing”, as he marked Fornaroli as a potential “Moneyball” choice for any F1 team looking to bolster their roster for next season.
The winner of last year’s Formula 3 championship with Trident, Fornaroli stepped onto the final rung of the ladder before F1 with the Invicta team for this year – the former Virtuosi outfit had just taken Gabriel Bortoleto to the title in 2024.
Like Fornaroli, Bortoleto had been the incumbent F3 champion and doubled up on his successes with the F2 title win – which catapulted the Brazilian into F1 with Sauber. Bortoleto had not counted on F1 support until he won the F3 title, and was promptly signed to McLaren’s development programme.
Despite the similarities in path between Fornaroli and Bortoleto, Robinson did not want to compare them too much – but hailed the Italian’s consistency and praised his ability to “execute” in races.
“Leo has been phenomenal to work with; across the team, we would echo that,” Robinson told Motorsport.com.
“Obviously, for the second year in a row, we’ve taken the F3 champion into the team. And naturally, your expectations are high. Having worked with Gabi last year, who is showing his skill level in F1 now, the expectations were probably unreasonably high for Leo. We spent a lot of time trying to counterbalance that for his own sake.
Leonardo Fornaroli, Invicta Racing
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
“Actually, we found that – and I don’t want to make too many comparisons to Gabi – his development has been as strong, if not stronger.
“Gabi made a really big step last year from Melbourne to Imola. I think Leo took a bit longer to find his feet, but then he really took a big step forward just before Silverstone and Red Bull Ring. I think we’re really seeing the fruits of that now.”
Fornaroli notably won last year’s F3 title without winning a race and, until Silverstone’s sprint race this year, had not won a race in any category since 2021’s opening Misano race in Italian Formula 4. The Piacenza-born racer has since won three races this year, heading into the summer break with the feature race win at the Hungaroring.
Robinson theorised that Fornaroli’s understated style and personality might not have captured immediate attention, but reckoned that his consistency and strengths would be a perfect fit for any F1 team.
He termed Fornaroli as a “Moneyball” driver – referring to the term popularised by a book and film about baseball coach Billy Beane, who used extensive data analysis to build a successful team from unfancied or unorthodox players.
“The unique thing about Leo is his ability to execute, and in an unflappable way without mistake,” Robinson added. “In the Spa sprint race, we had [Victor] Martins who had just passed [Amaury] Cordeel just before the safety car [which the contact with Cordeel produced] and he was putting in some really quick laps.
“We all said on the pitwall during the safety car that this is going to be a really tough race to win. But Leo just got his head down and just consistently put in lap after lap after lap; by the time the race had ended, he had a four- or five-second lead and he won the race quite comfortably. And he did exactly the same in the Hungary feature race.”
Podium: Race winner Leonardo Fornaroli, Invicta Racing, second place Victor Martins, ART Grand Prix, James Robinson, Team Principal of Invicta Racing
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
“I’m astounded at this stage, being candid, and that I cannot understand why Leo is not with an F1 team right now. He wouldn’t say this, because again, he’s only focused on his next race, so I see it very much as part of my role to say what a lot of people in our team are thinking.
“And it’s absolutely mind-blowing that he hasn’t been announced for an F1 role for next year already, given that most of the other drivers in the top seven or eight positions in the championship are part of F1 team academies.
“I think Leo is a bit of a Moneyball-type pick. He doesn’t do the big banzai moves that some drivers do. He doesn’t do silly dances on the podium. He’s not very outspoken in the media. But having worked in Formula 1 for 20 years, knowing what F1 teams look for in drivers, Leo is an exceptional guy in terms of developing a car.
“I think if you did take a sort of more Moneyball-style approach, Leo would be the most obvious pick for anybody.
“If you’re looking to develop a car, you need a driver that can deliver consistency, lap after lap after lap, they can give you that stable data point. Leo does that better than anybody in F2 right now.
“I think he would be the deal of the century for an F1 team at this stage.”
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